Darkest hour
by explodingmushroomsplus
Summary: giant oneshot, AU/future. Also try and match my characters to their non-exported code geass versions. whoever does gets some cookies!


**Darkest Hour**

**Stage 1: Spiral**

_Lea, Lea, Lea. Lea. Lea! LEA! _

"WAKE UP LEA!" Lea felt herself being shaken as the drowsiness of waking up settled over her. She murmured, turning over in her plush bed and covering her ears with a pillow. After several more minutes of being poked by her sister, Ella, Lea cracked one eye open, head turned towards her nightstand, and the flat, curved, silver disc that laid on it. She lazily waved her hand over the disc, and a purple hologram display appeared, showing the time, 7:11 AM. "It'stoo early," Lea said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Come on, wake up, it's the first day of school, Leonor, you have to get ready," Ella said, picking up the much thinner girl on the bed and dragging her towards the en-suite bathroom.

Lea felt the sudden loss of gravity affecting her limp, half-asleep body and

opened both her eyes, feeling Ella's bubblegum pink hair drape over her face and tickle her nose, causing her to sneeze loudly. "You alright, Lea?" Ella asked, "did you catch a cold or something?" She had a small frown on her face as Lea rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes and looked up at Ella. "I'm fine," she replied, and noticed that Ella's arms were under her armpits, allowing her sister to drag her towards the private washroom.

"Three things. One, why are you up so early? School doesn't start until like nine. Two, what did you put in your hair? It smells really bad. And three, where are you taking me?" Lea asked, still confused on why she was woken up at seven in the morning.

"Well," Ella replied after unceremoniously dropping her older sister onto the

floor, "About my hair, I decided to make it pink, and I put in that fancy conditioner Mom uses to make her hair smell like roses." Lea crinkled her nose. She wasn't the kind of girl to dye her hair, unlike Ella who changed it on a weekly basis, from saffron yellow to royal purple to neon green at one point, and she definitely wasn't the kind of girl who used every hair and styling product possible just for a quick walk or a ten minute train ride. "What about WAKING ME UP AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING?!" Lea yelled, well, more like she talked at a low volume than yelling, but the emotion was there. "Oh about that," Ella replied, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face, "I have to get you ready." Lea raised an eyebrow. She never took long to prepare for school, or anything for that matter. The most she ever prepared for anything was some foundation and a minimal application of mascara. "What do you mean? I don't take like an hour to get ready for school you know," she said to her grinning younger sister. "*I'm gonna do your make-up!" Ella exclaimed, and Lea's face shifted from a look of confusion to one of horror as the realization dawned upon her. "No... NO NO NO NO NO!" She yelled, kicking against Ella's renewed headlock to try and escape the nightmare(well, for her at least) that was about to happen. Leonor Vincenzo Berkeley did _NOT_ like beauty products very much.

An hour and much kicking, screaming,and pleading later, the two sisters walked out of the en-suite, Lea's throat slightly raw from nearly twenty minutes of continuous screaming. "Oh come on, Lea. It wasn't that bad," Ella said, still cheerful even while nursing a slight bruise on her upper arm. "Yeah, right. My face feels like an anvil, and these contacts are irritating my eyes. I like my glasses thank you very much," Lea complained, popping out the lenses, which had gold nano flakes which sparkled on contact with light, and put on her glasses, which contained an integrated thought-activated interface(technology goes REALLY far in thirty years).

She then looked in the mirror and stared at her face, totally changed by her

sister's handiwork. The foundation, much darker than her original pale complexion, seemed to brighten up her features. The bronze shading that was applied to her cheekbones and nose reduced the effect of the sharp lines her originally aristocratic features had, and made her seem healthier and glow-y as a result. Her hair had new light purple highlights and extensions, as well as a full "damage treatment" for her split ends and coarse hair. The result was more wavy and curly, and had nearly twice the volume her hair had before. "this is actually really nice, Ella," Lea said, admiring how much a few creams and conditioners could do, "i could get used to this, if my face didn't feel like a brick. How do you even get used to this?"

"Lots of practise, big sis, lots of practise," Ella said, admiring her handiwork as well. "Maybe you'll pick up a few guys today, eh Lea?" Lea's face burned at the mention of her non-existent social life, the blush amplified by the blush Ella applied on her cheeks. "I-I thought-," Lea stuttered, still quite embarrassed by Ella's earlier ribbing. "So you did this to get me boys?!" she exclaimed, adjusting her school uniform. The entire ensemble included a light blue blazer, a tan blouse under that, an unimaginably short forest green skirt, and a blue bow tie. "Uh-huh. Come on big sis, you're seventeen, you should enjoy yourself for once," Ella said, doing a lighthearted twirl around her room in a similar uniform, but with a green bow tie. In their private school, each grade had a different colour bow tie. The freshmen had a yellow tie, sophomores a green tie, juniors a blue tie, and seniors a red one. "Ella, please, My life is perfectly fine, I don't need your help finding a guy," Lea said, sitting down on the bed. "Ohhh..., could it be that you have a crush on someone?" Ella said, intrigued. She sprawled herself onto the bed, legs, chin in her hands and legs kicking the air in excitement. "W-what, NO! I don't have a crush on anyone Ella, I just have my studies to worry about, something that you should be worrying about as well," Lea said, turning away in embarrassment. There was, in fact, someone that Leonor had a crush on.

_Seven years earlier:_

_ Ten-year old Leonor Berkeley wandered the halls of her school, trying to find __some place to read. She sat__ inside one of the washrooms, trying to hide from the bullies in the cafeteria and outside. She didn't know why they hated her. Maybe it was because she was thin and bony. Maybe it was because she wore glasses. Maybe it was because she could barely run. Whatever it was, they attacked her for it. She sat __down in the corner of the washroom, opening her book, __A Tale of Two Cities, one of her favourite reads. She turned the first page. Having read the book several times, she could practically remember the first three chapters by heart. Even so, every time she would read it would enrapture her as much as the first time. She read out loud in a whisper to herself, letting her mind wander to 1775 Europe. _

_ "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, _we _were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the-,"__SLAM! A hand, inside a leather fingerless glove, shut the book and lifted it up from Lea's grasp. _

_ "Look what we have here," Kaelie Williams said. She was a third year in the school, and one of the meanest. "The four eyed freak is reading a book in the washroom. How pitiful." Lea could feel the anger and the tears coming, but bit down hard on her lip to stop them. Quickly counting to five in her head, she calmed herself down. "Can I have my book back, Kaelie?" She asked, not wanting to get into trouble _again. "Sure," the taller blond said, "you can have it back..., if you can PUT IT BACK TOGETHER!" She then tore the book in half and scattered the pages

all over the f_loor, cackling maniacally as Lea tried to pick them up one by one. _

_ Lea picked up page after ripped page, tears spilling out of her eyes. The book was a gift from her late uncle Victor, and now it was ripped up all over the floor of a middle school washroom. When she picked up all the pages and carefully placed them back in her backpack, she was picked up by Kaelie and brought out into the hallway. She flailed against the larger girl's grip as Kaelie punched her in the gut, her breath leaving her in one violent act as Kaelie released her and she dropped onto the ground, flopping like a fish out of water. As soon as the spots faded from her eyes she was kicked in the stomach, her legs and arms giving out as she collapsed again. She was picked up off the ground again, and Kaelie's fist cocked back again, this time headed for her face. Lea closed her eyes and waited for the pain to arrive, but it never did. The next thing she knew, she was sitting against the wall, everything slightly bright and blurry from oxygen loss. She could make out a boy's face staring at her, mud brown hair and wide emerald eyes looking at her with worry, and Kaelie clutching her arm to her chest on the floor, writhing and moaning slightly. "Are you okay?" He asked, and she mutely nodded yes._

_ They sat together later in the cafeteria, each of them holding a soft drink form the servery. "Why did you help me?" Lea asked the boy across from her, who was rubbing his knuckles lightly. "Because," he said, "Kaelie is a bully. She needs to be taught a lesson," he said, voice low and serious as he looked into her eyes, a fire burning within the emerald orbs that almost scared Lea. "Well, thanks anyways, uh, er...,uh..," she said, still not knowing the boy's name. "Sumio, Sumio Kurosaki." _

PRESENT DAY

The two of them ended up becoming good friends, and Leonor had fallen for the brown-haired, green-eyed exercise nut some time around 8th grade, but she never actually confessed to him, and they remained close friends, even when Sumio became the lead quarterback for the Academy's football team, The Pendragon Knights.

The two sisters said goodbye to their parents and boarded the train to their school. The ride was smooth and silent as the trains floated on top of the rails through magnetic power. Lea was lost in thought until one of her friends from the school band, Pi, walked over and sat next to her. The male uniform for her school was instead a dress shirt and pants, black shoes, a light blue blazer and a tie which also showed what year they were in. "Hey Lea," he said, taking a seat beside her while Ella was listening to music on her phone, which to anyone else was just a rectangular piece of glass, but to her it was a holographic touch screen which could do just about anything. Most people, including Lea, had one, and some people who were raised in the age of

smartphones still couldn't believe it. "Did you tell him yet?" He whispered quietly so only Lea could

hear. Pi was the only other person who knew of Lea's crush on

Sumio. "No." she replied, " When I try to I either back out of it or I get so tongue-tied

that I can't even talk to him." She sighed and looked out the window.

"Well, I don't know why you can't," Pi said, "Maybe you could write a poem or something, I read some of your works. They're really good," "No, Lea replied, "My poetry is cheesy. Really, really cheesy. It won't work. Besides, I'm terrible at English." Pi snickers, then gets up. "I think this is our stop," he says.

Minutes Later, Pendragon Academy, San Diego California

"Lea!" Ella yells as the older sister walks up the steps to the school. Lea turns around and walks back down to the middle of the steps. "Yes?" she replies. "I have to tell you something, it's really important," Ella says, but the warning bell interrupts her from continuing on. "I'll tell you later at lunch, see ya!" Ella calls out before heading up the steps.

Lunch

Lea sat down with her tray of pasta, salad and orange juice near her friends, Milly, Kate, Roy, Nina, Pi, and Sally. They chatted about upcoming events such as orientation or new arrivals and the freshmen, their summers, and any news they might have. A few minutes later Ella arrived, setting down her tray next to Roy and conversing with everyone before she silenced them. "I have something to say," she said, and Sumio walked up to the group, wiry muscles under a white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. His mousy brown hair hanging over his emerald eyes slightly. "Hey guys," he said, and wrapped his arms around Ella's waist, nuzzling her upper neck while she leaned oh his shoulder. "Wha-?" Pi said, trailing off as Ella continued to speak. "Me and Sumio got together, isn't that great?" She smiled, as Lea clenched the soft drink cup, head slightly down. "T-that's g-great, you guys. Sorry I have to go somewhere right now," she said before quickly standing up and walking briskly out of the open courtyard. "I-I'll go after her,"Pi said, before chasing after Lea.

Lea stormed down the hall toward the music rooms, tears freely running down her cheeks, smearing the make-up Ella put on earlier. "I knew it. He is too good for me," she thought to herself as she went into an empty room, the only thing in it a white grand piano. Lea took to the piano, pressed a few keys, to test it out and started to play to drown her sorrows.

Song name: Departures(English fandub by Amanda Lee)

_No longer can I call myself loved by you anymore__  
__And neither can I say I'm still wanted or who you need __  
__And so now I'm on my own __  
__Or was I guaranteed__  
__To walk alone___

_I wish I knew what you had tried to express long ago __  
__But when you spoke the heavens swept up all of your words __  
__Even though it's nothing new __  
__I'll take another step __  
__And make a wish that will not come true ___

_Please say you won't let go of me__  
__And tightly hold me so __  
__I need to know that we will forever be this way __  
__The memory of holding your hand each and every day __  
__I'll never forget ___

_You made me cry so many times __  
__And that never did change__  
__But looking back I'm glad I cried even though it still hurts __  
__Because when you'd apologize__  
__You'd make the sweetest face__  
__And you'd pull me into your embrace _

_Please say you won't let go... of me__  
__And tightly hold me so __  
__Inside your arms is where I would like to call my home__  
__My true wish is to open my eyes in the morning light __  
__And see your face ___

_Did you ever think__  
__That this day would come__  
__When a goodbye would last forever ___

_Please say you won't let go of me__  
__And tightly hold me so __  
__Your smile won't be for me__  
__You'll be a memory __  
__Just one more time _  
_Before your warmth completely disappears __  
__Hold me in your arms_

Departures was the first song Lea learned to play on the piano when she was younger. It was something she played to calm herself down, especially when she was sad She took one last calming breath before standing up and walking out of the room, only to come face to face with a very shocked Pi.

Minutes Earlier

Pi sprinted through the halls of Pendragon academy, not caring about the framed pictures of famous graduates as he sprinted towards the sound of Lea's footsteps. He soon lost her after a group of students passed him, and he wandered the halls, searching for Lea. "Dammit. She'd better not do something stupid," he muttered to himself, and nearly gave up before he heard piano music come from a room. He sprinted towards the sound and began to hear singing. The voice

sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it until he got closer to the music rooms. " I wish I knew what you had tried to express long ago, But when you spoke the heavens swept up all of your words ," Pi stopped short of the doors to where the mystery voice was coming from. As he listened to the singing, he thought that it was practically angelic. It sounded amazing to his ears, which were fine-tuned from dissecting pieces of music at band practise. He peered in, and to his shock the person masterfully playing the grand piano and singing at the same time was Lea. The same Lea who looked down on herself since middle school had a voice that could put most artists to shame. He gawked at her as she finished the song and headed for the only exit, which was where Pi decided to gawk at her talent.

"PI?!" Lea exclaimed, half surprised that she had embarrassed herself in front of one of her friends, and half angry that he was snooping on her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you didn't try to hurt yourself or something, you seemed really sad back there. Are you sure you're alright?" Pi asked. "I'm alright. I guess I was just a bit shocked, but I'm over it now, " Lea replied.

"Are you sure you're over it? If you need someone to talk to I'm always ready to listen you know. "Pi said.

"*sigh*. I still like Sumio, but Ella makes him so happy. Well, he seems that way to me. They're just perfect for each other, they match up so well. I'm nothing like Ella. I'm not pretty, or athletic, or cheerful all the time. I'm me. Lazy, self-centred, and completely useless."

"You are not lazy or self-centred. I know you think about other people. Remember the time when Ella got a bruise from cheerleading practise last year? You went to every girl in the club because you thought someone gave her that bruise when she just walked into a pole," Pi said, failing to hold back his laughter. "And that performance back there was amazing. Your voice is amazing, and if anyone says otherwise, don't believe them because your voice is probably the best thing I've heard. Ever."

"Thanks, Pi," you're an amazing friend," Lea said before hugging him.

The two of them walked back out into the courtyard where Ella and the others were waiting for them. "Where were you guys?" Katie asked.

"We just had to do some stuff for band initiation next month, I think we're low on decorations, don't you think Pi?" Lea said. "Hmm? Oh right, yeah we are kinda low," Pi responded.

"Oh and one thing Sumio. If you dare hurt my sister I will personally castrate you. Comprendé?" Lea said menacingly, to which Sumio nodded quickly and nevously.

Lea sat down again, this time next to her sister. "So, what were we talking about?" She asked, hiding the remaining emotions from her earlier breakdown.

"We were asking how Ella and Sumio got together. I mean, it _IS _kinda cliché that a cheerleader like your sister would get together with someone like Sumio," Milly said.

"Well, We sort of met the day after you went to that chess camp, remember that one you stayed at until like yesterday, Lea?" Ella said. "Yeah I remember that one." Lea said. She realized that between being unable to call others at camp, and her coming back at around 9:00 last night, her sister would have had no time to tell her about her and Sumio. "Well, the day after you left, Sumio came looking for you. I told him you were at camp, and we hung out together. This happened for a few days until we sort of, well," Ella leaned in closer, and whispered. "We kissed."

The group of friends immediately had their jaws drop in shock. They then bombarded Ella with question after question, which ended soon after when the bell for fifth period rang.

**Stage 2: Helix**

That weekend

"I can't believe I let you guys drag me here," Lea said, adjusting her glasses' filters to block out most of the sun. Milly and Ella had planned a beach excursion a few days back, and through Ella's endless "Pleeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssseeeeee?"/Puppy-dog-eyes combo, Lea relented and joined them. Even so, she managed to talk her way out of wearing swimwear, and instead wore a tank top with khaki shorts and brought a novel with her, determined not to spend much time in the California sun.

"Oh come on, Lea. Don't be such a stick in the mud!" Milly said, throwing the beach ball to Pi, who caught it and spun it before throwing it to Sally. Lea simply rolled her eyes and placed the umbrella and towel on the sand, feeling the grainy warmth under as the light shade stopped her eyes from hurting, but still allowing her to read. She stayed like that for a while, blocking out the sounds of her friends, until a beach ball, much different from the one her friends were using, hit her straight in the head. She toppled over, managing to keep the book from getting sand between its pages. "Sorry, I didn't see you there!" Lea heard, and immediately turned her head towards the voice. A blond teen ran to her, picking up the beach ball and flashing her an apologetic smile. "So sorry," he said, " My name's Gino. Let me make it up to you, alright?"

"I-I'm Lea." She stuttered, slightly taken aback at how forward and friendly he was, and it didn't help that he was shirtless, too. "Lea. That's a cute name," he said, causing her to flush deep red. "Let me take you out to the carnival tonight. You know about that right?"

"Y-yeah, sure." Lea replied, her mind functioning less than usual from Gino's attitude.

"Great, I'll see you seven, then. Is that OK with you?"

"Yeah, sure." Lea replied. She stared at the horizon across the ocean, her mind spinning its wheels as it tried to explain and process what had just happened. She was still doing this as Ella, Milly, and Pi walked up to her, shit-eating grins on her sister and Milly's faces. "Oh. My. God. Did you just get asked out by a _GUY_?!" Ella exclaimed, probably thinking of what Lea should wear. "He was pretty hot too," Milly said, lightly elbowing Ella in the ribs. "I think the two of you should help her get ready," Pi chimed in with a joking tone which was instantly misunderstood.

"That is a great idea, Piscine," Milly said, a maniacal grin forming on her face as well as Ella's. _I'm sorry_. Pi mouthed to Lea before slowly walking away. "Say, Ella, what colour eye shadow works well with purple eyes?" Milly said. _Oh no._

For the second time in one week, Lea felt like her face was make of anvils. The amount of make-up Ella put earlier in the week was nothing compared to the amount that was practically poured onto her face. Even so, she had to admit that the two of them had done an amazing job with hair, clothes, and make-up. Her hair once again had the purple highlights, and she was wearing a dark purple jacket with a manila coloured blouse, as well as a white mini-skirt. She looked at the watch on her wrist. 6:55. "He should be here," she said quietly, Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey there," Lea heard Gino and turned around, looking at the long haired blond. He was wearing a black turtleneck with a red collared jacket, black jeans, and had his blond hair swept back and had three braids near the back, trailing down to his shoulder blade. "Wow, you look nice," he said, his blue eyes widening slightly as he looked over her, earning a blush from Lea.

"We should probably be going in," she said, raising her voice slightly over the sounds of the carnival as the rides started taking in the first sets of people. "Alright," Gino said, as Lea pulled out her wallet. Gino quickly stopped her and put it back into the purse she was carrying before pulling out twenty dollars of his own. "Let me pay. Otherwise what kind of a gentleman would I be?" he teased, a sly smirk growing on his face. "Fine," Lea said dejectedly, before taking his hand and walking to the ticket booth, the 7:00 sun low in the sky.

Lea had never been to a carnival before. She had seen pictures and knew how they worked, but none of that prepared her for the actual thing. The sights, sounds and smells, what with people running around everywhere, were a bit overwhelming on her part. She had never enjoyed large crowds, and had always shied away from the spotlight. "You OK?" She heard Gino ask, a look of slight worry on his face. "I-I'm alright. It's just the first time I've done something like this before." "It's alright," Gino, said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Why don't we do some of the games. Ooh! Lets go to that one!" He pointed to a booth with a basketball game and several stuffed animals.

"Go ahead, Lea, pick one. I'll get it for you," Gino said, and Lea picked a large yellow plush doll, basically a large yellow blob with three wavy "legs" at the bottom and two stubby arms and a small top hat and a tiny face. Gino smirked, paid the man at the booth two dollars, and got 5 balls. "If you get three into that hoop, then that doll is yours," the man said, brown hair sticking out slightly under his painter's cap.

"Three times? Too easy," Gino said, and threw the ball. It bounced off the rim and landed on the floor with a loud "Plunk!". He tried a second time, only for the ball to bounce off the makeshift backboard. "I swear I'm good at this," he said before throwing the ball again. Every time they missed.

Lea thought something was up. She decided to scan the net and board, looking at details that would be missed by the naked eye. She smirked when she found what she was looking for. The net was tilted backwards about 5 degrees upward, which would cause the ball to rebound off the rim with the trajectory that Gino was using. She poked him in the shoulder before leaning up to him and whispering in his ear. "The net is tilted, the game is fixed. Change how you shoot so it starts coming down from the arc sooner." He did so, and sank every shot, much to the surprise of the carny running the game. Clutching the newly acquired doll, the two of them continued to play games, with Lea telling him which ones were rigged and how to beat them.

By the time nightfall rolled around and fireworks started to come on, the two teens were grasping several bracelets, stuffed animals and other knickknacks that they had won, and were standing on the edge of the pier, by Gino's car. After loading the items into plastic bags in the backseat he turned and talked to her, and she looked up at him, as her head came up to about hi chin. She stared at him, his face illuminated by fireworks, showing every single piece of perfection. "Thanks for bringing me here, Gino. But I've got one problem," "Hmm? What is it?" He said, their faces inches away from each other. "This seems like a lot for just hitting me with a beach ball," she said, fireworks still burning in the distance. "Well, you seemed really mad at me afterwards, and I made a vow never to make a woman angry or sad, ever." He replied, sarcasm dripping through his voice, "and also, I kinda like you." he said seriously before lowering his head and kissing Lea.

Her mind went haywire as Gino lowered his lips onto hers, the two of them fighting for dominance in the kiss. When they stopped, the world seemed to come into focus for Lea, her heart was beating faster, her breathing accelerated. "Wow," she said, still a bit shocked at Gino. A smile came over the blond's face, one that seemed to light up the entire area. "I'd like to see you again, Lea," he whispered, before kissing her again. When they broke away again, he asked her what school she was in. "Pendragon Academy, why?" she replied, before a smile lit up on his face. "That's exactly where I'm transferring to!" He exclaimed before kissing her once again. "I'll see you Monday," he winked at her before they entered his car, a red convertible, and drove to her house. As they drove up a long, winding hill to where the more expensive properties were, the night grew quiet, the lights of the city below flickering as the city of San Diego went to sleep. Her house was set on the side and top of a cliff, with a significant part of it placed _inside the rock_. They stopped at the house's driveway, which was filled with 3 three cars, two of them sports cars.

"Well, see ya on Monday," Lea said, picking up her three bagfuls of items and walking into the house, which was unlocked by Ella who heard them coming up the road.

She looked at the bags Lea was carrying and whistled. "Busy night?" She asked, looking away from the TV where she was watching old shows in her PJ's. "Yeah," Lea replied, yawning afterwards. "I'm gonna go to bed." She walked into her spacious room, kicked off her flats, took out the yellow blob doll she got from the basketball game, plopped onto her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Phase 3: Coil**

Three weeks later

Lea walked to the student council meeting, smiling at the thought of time with Gino later in the day. She walked in to find Ella and the Student Council President Oscar Lima having a discussion about the school's budget, Gino and Sumio hanging around listening. She said hi to Gino before quickly kissing him and immediately went to work on balancing the school's books. Even if Pendragon was a private school, It was still hard to meet the school's quota and all of the clubs' demands at the same time. Soon afterwards Gino got up and left, but not before kissing Lea long and passionately. "I've got somewhere to go, I'll see you after the meeting, Lulu," saying the nickname that Gino used on Lea, and giving a wink before walking out the door.

"You really are lucky, Lea," Ella said, sitting across from her sister, who was engrossed in her work. "Yeah, he really helped me get out of my shell didn't he? I mean, I even joined the Student Council because of him." Lea answered, before noticing the package on her desk, a rectangle about the size of her hand, wrapped in brown paper. "Oh, Gino forgot this," she said before picking it up. "I'll go and give it to him." Lea said before walking out into the hallway.

Lea looked around the school for Gino, checking the lockers and the courtyard, the library and the cafeteria. She was about to give up when she heard moans coming from a nearby change room. She opened the door slightly, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates when she saw...

Gino on top of a blonde girl who was much more well endowed than Lea, both of them naked, and kissing. She immediately covered her mouth in surprise, shock and anger as she peeked, listening to their post-coital conversation.

"Don't you have a girlfriend, Gino?" the blonde asked, propping herself up on her elbows to look Gino in the face. "She isn't my girlfriend, per se, more like someone I'm gonna do then leave. Besides, why would I have her when I can do you?" he leaned in close again, their noses touching.

Lea was on the floor, still looking but she had tears running down the side of her face. _Am I really that bad?_ She thought to herself, continuing to listen as Gino talked again.

"Lea's nothing but some clingy bitch who's completely naive. She's cute, I'll give her that, but she's like your-best-friend's-little-sister cute. Not the kind you look for in a girlfriend. Also, the only reason I'm dating her is because I lost a bet to my friends and I had to woo a girl of their choice, and guess who they picked." Lea was shocked at the revelations and just numbly sat at the bottom of the door, still listening. She was silently crying to herself as Gino tore at her insecurities, her once dormant depression rising through the cracks of her mind, threatening to drown her in its sorrows. "I'm sure all of her 'friends' just pity her and would dispose of her before she even realizes it. I mean, who would want to be friends with a clingy, anti-social, lazy, girl like her. When I can dump her I'll come for you, Anne," Gino then continued to kiss and fondle the girl, while Lea quickly left, unable to take it any more.

Her mind fought against itself itself, Gino's thoughts versus her own opinions, raging inside her mind, ravaging her sanity. As she ran, what she heard from Gino overpowered the belief in her friends, and she suddenly felt very alone. Her self-worth soon collapsed next, as most of it was built up by her friends, and the sadness soon became too much for her to handle. She began to hallucinate, fear and sadness steering her towards the roof.

"Freak!"

"Lazy!"

"Selfish!"

"untalented!"

The voices spun inside her head, clawing at what remained of her sanity, unable to register those she passed by, until she ran into Pi.

"Ow, That hurt Lea, watch where you're going!" he exclaimed, his head and back hurting. "What's the rush?" He took one look at Lea's face, the tear streaks, red eyes, and haunted look made him run from her, to try and get help from Ella or one of her other friends.

Pi running from her only strengthened Lea's current mindset. She stumbled towards the roof, opening the door and moving towards the guard rail. The voices grew stronger, and she felt more alone than ever. She hopped over the guard rail as her friends clambered onto the roof, yelling "Don't JUMP!" and things of the like. She could barely register them as she simply fell forward, a rose bush on the ground quickly filling her sight.

"NOOOO!" Ella screamed as she tried to reach Lea in time, but her sister went over, crashing onto the rose bush four storeys on the ground. When Pi came into the room, rambling about Lea going insane and crying, and Ella immediately pieced it together. She told Pi to get the others and to meet her on the roof. When they reached it they saw Lea standing past the guardrail, arms spread out, her back to them, she turned around once to them, and Ella sprinted with everything she had to reach Lea, but missed her sister's hand by mere inches. She broke down, feeling numb and in shock as Sumio frantically called 911, Pi collapsed to the ground, his head in his hands and Roy dragging Gino up to the roof, Gino half dressed and sporting a bruise on his cheek. When Ella saw the purple lipstick stains all over his face, she went berserk. She punched, kicked and clawed Gino, calling him things like "traitorous bastard," "god damn cheater," before she was dragged off of him, tears returning in full force.

"What did you say about Lea?" Sumio interrogated Gino, fist inches from his face. "Just that she had no real friends," he shrugged like it was a casual statement. "How did that make her jump?" Everybody cringed as he said that.

"Lea has a mental disorder, but no doctor could diagnose it properly," Ella said, voice deadly serious. "It's similar to Avoidant Personality disorder, but AvPD doesn't cause extreme conflicts in the mind. The doctors said that she would have extreme difficulty with social interaction, and that the slightest bit of insults could cause her to spiral into depression. I once found her trying to blind herself when someone called her a 'four-eyed freak'." Everyone was shocked as no one but Lea's family knew about her disorder. "She never told anyone because, well you can guess why." Ella began to break down again, and Sumio wrapped his arms around her, "She's gone." she whispered over and over again as they watched the ambulance leave. Pi, Ella and Sumio went to the hospital soon after, and waited the entire night for when Lea would come out of surgery. Ella's parents came soon after and they waited for a excruciating twelve hours before a medical aide came from the operating theatre, a solemn look on his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Berkeley, I presume?" he asked Ella's parents. "Yes, why?" Lea's mother asked, who had the same midnight black hair as Lea. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is Leonor survived the surgery and will make a full recovery, at least physically. There was no nerve damage, thankfully."

"What's the bad news?" Sumio said. "The bad news is that Leonor is in a coma for some reason. We haven't been able to wake her up for the last three hours. I'm sorry."

"I-i-i-is she still going to live?" Lea's father asked, a heavyset man with a deep booming voice.

"She can survive without life support, somehow, she just won't react to physical or mental stimuli." all of the people present let out a collective sigh of relief. "Let's go home Ella. Sumio, you can stay with us for now if you want." "Sure, Mrs. Berkeley," he replied.

Lea awoke inside a gold cage in a white room. She wore an intricate white dress with gold trimmings that was made for a queen. She was on a four-poster queen sized bed with white sheets and bedposts. All around the cage there were bookshelves, filled tot he brim with books. She noticed a figure sitting across from her outside of the cage, his dark skin contrasting with the white of his toga and the rest of the room. After a few minutes of staring at him, he awoke, smiling at her.

"Pi?" Lea asked the figure who looked exactly like i except for his eyes. The eye whites were pitch black while the irises were blood red. The overall look of them unsettled her.

"I am Pi, but I am not as well." He said, standing up, brushing off his toga and facing her. I am simply a product of you imagination. A second personality if you will."

"So I'm not dead?" Lea asked.

"No."

"Wow, Assassin's Creed _WASN'T_ lying. You can survive a fall with a rose bush. So, what are you exactly?" Lea asked.

"I am the side of us not consumed by our mental disorder, the optimistic one if you will, and I am here to bring you back into the world of the living." The other personality said.

"What's the point? No one want's me, no one loves me," Lea said.

"Are you sure about that, Lea, or are you trusting the judgement of someone who cheated on you rather than your friends? Or you parents? Or your OWN?" The personality questioned, as he felt a presence near Lea's body. _This should be interesting,_ it thought to itself, before opening up a entire wall to become a giant TV screen. "If you can't trust yourself, maybe you can trust this," he said before turning it on.

Several Hours Earlier

Ella paced the room, worrying. But this time her worries were not on Lea, but on the box she found in her closet. Gino had been expelled for "improper conduct detrimental to the school environment", but the damage has been done. She was waiting for Sumio to get out of the shower before she told him what she had found. Several minutes later Sumio stepped out of the shower room, a towel wrapped around his waist. On any other day Ella would have slept with him in an instant, but some things were not worth waiting. She showed him the shoebox and when he quizzically raised an eyebrow, Ella opened it, revealing hundreds of crossed out and crumpled pieces of paper, but it wasn't what they were that mattered, it was what was written on them. Love letters, declarations of love. Some badly written, some would have been considered a masterpiece, All of them came from the heart. Lea's heart. As Sumio put down the last paper back into the box, Ella spoke up.

"Did you love my sister Sumio?" She asked.

"Wh-what?!" Sumio replied. "I said, Did you love my sister? Was that why you came to our house that day?" Ella said, her voice rising as she enunciated every syllable. "Y-Yes, I did love her." he answered, head bowed in slight shame. When he lifted it, he saw that his girlfriend had a beaming smile on her face.

"Then get my sister back."

Now

Lea was surprised by the entire left wall liquifying to become a silver screen. When the rippling stopped, she saw her own body below her, black hair in a fan under her head. A few stitches above her eye and more on her neck. She then noticed who was sitting beside her body. Sumio. He brushed some of her hair back from her face with a gentleness usually reserved for those in love, and began to talk.

'I don't know if you can hear me, Lea, but I'll say this now. I love you. I always have. You are the most beautiful person my eyes have ever seen. You have to fight this mental disorder, and do everything we have to do. I always admired your strength, your cunning, your knowledge, your beauty. I just never had the balls to ask you out, and I'm sorry. So if you can hear me, please, come back Lea. For Ella, and all your friends, but most importantly, for me. As he leaned in to kiss her Lea's second personality flashed a smug smile that said "I win". Lea got off the bed, tears of joy falling down her cheeks. She stepped out of the cage, and everything disappeared in a shining white light.

Sumio closed his eyes and slowly lowered his lips onto Lea's at first they were cold, and Sumio felt a sense of defeat wash over him, only to disappear soon after when he felt Lea's lips kiss back. Opening his eyes he stared into bright violet ones. "Wow," she said, "fairy tales _weren't_ lying." Sumio smiled hugely and hugged Lea while kissing her. "Um..., Sumio, you're kinda crushing me." She whispered against his lips, an he immediately let go of her.

"What does Ella think of us being together?" Lea asked. "She's OK with it." Sumio replied. "Now kiss me again." he teasingly commanded. And so they did.

THE END


End file.
